


Let go of your fear and your ghost

by elcapitan_rogers



Series: Romanogers AU [13]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Actors, Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-08 23:58:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8868220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elcapitan_rogers/pseuds/elcapitan_rogers
Summary: Natasha ran away from her life in LA, driving into the middle of nowhere until her car broke down.





	1. Chapter 1

 

_ "Up next on Eyewitness News, Academy Award nominations are in! Natasha Romanov is among the nominations, earning a nod for Best Actress for the second time in a row. She won an Academy Awards last year for her role for her role..." _

Natasha turned off the television once the  wasn't hers or that she was the center of attention, the whole world waiting for her to fail. She news about herself came up and tossed the remote control onto the couch. She hated it every time she heard news/gossip about herself on TV or the radio. She didn't need any reminders that she was at the highest peak of her career. The higher you get the lonelier you are and the fewer people you can trust.

It was a hard life but it brought her fame and wealth. Something she’d always dreamed of, since she was a kid. And now...now she wanted more than just a shell of a life. She wanted something intimate, something that was a life...normal life. A life that was hers.

It was just a dream.

 

_ She got into showbiz when she was nine. Her mom got her an acting coach and a life coach and a general manager. She didn't even know what a life coach was when she was nine. For then on, her life was acting, traveling from place to place, living in a trailer, and studying with her personal tutor. She didn't have a life like normal kids so she didn't have so many friends. Most of her friends were child actors. They didn't keep contact much after filming ended.  _

_ Life as an actress taught her to be tough and to get used to a lonely life. Some said she was cold, distant, and aloof. In fact, they were kinda right. It was hard in this industry to see who really wanted to be your friend and who just wanted something from you. She learned this the hard way when she was fifteen. Her costars and closest friends at that time, costars in one of those obligatory teen movies, got her addicted to drugs. Natasha was so desperate to have friends and social life like normal people that she was willing to risk her entire career.  _

_ She got her shit together after one of her friend overdosed and died, the same age as her. Death was always an eye-opener. She admitted herself into a rehab and swore she would never touch those things again. _

_ She dated lots of guys. Most of them were her costars. Some of them she met through her friends. Natasha always wanted to find the right one but she knew it was hard. In film industry, you had zero chance of finding true love. All you did was work, go on tour, do interviews. Of course, you got to meet a lot of people but  ninety percent of them you would probably meet only one time.  _

_ So she made good with what she had. Her first boyfriend was Clint Barton, who ended up being her friend because 'he didn't want to risk their relationship', (she’d agreed). The second one was Matt Murdock, a famous Hollywood lawyer who cheated on her and got married to a beautiful action star, Elektra Natchios. (They’d met during one of her lawsuits and fell in love during a long night preparing for the case). Natasha was heartbroken, of course. But she knew in her heart that Matt wasn't the one she was looking for. She was still young and beautiful so it wasn't hard for a woman with everything like her to find a new man. _

_ She dated many people along the way. All the failed attempt of her thinking she might find the one. Her boyfriends broke up with her because she was more successful than them or because she didn't have much time for them. She tried her best but still, they didn’t work out. _

_ Her current boyfriend was Alexei Shostakov, a charming comedic actor she’d met during the filming of the rom-com hit 'Babysitting the Superstar.' They began dating shortly after they’d finished filming and everyone went crazy after they revealed their relationship to the public. Paparazzi swamped them like flies. Their life was exposed but their love was still growing strong. _

_ He became such an important part of her life. She slowly began to depend on him for emotional support. On hard days after long hours of work or paparazzi/gossiping site got a little bit out of hand, he was always be there when she came home. Alexei will always showed her with kisses and hug, then prepared a nice meal for her, carried her to the bathtub where he had hot water running. _

_ Overall, he was as perfect a boyfriend as anyone could ask for and Natasha imagined the day of their wedding. _

_ In the back of her mind, there was a part of her that tried to warn her it was all too good to be true. But Nat ignored it. She had fallen completely for Alexei, ignoring what her instincts tried to tell her. How could it be bad if he was this sweet, gentle, and loving? _

_ Her life was a big mess but Alexei was something that always a certainty. _

* * *

 

While she was eating her breakfast, Natasha got a text from her manager, Phil Coulson, to say that he wanted her to meet up with the director. Nat just typed  _ okay _ and waited for her agent to text back the address. Like she had a say in anything anyway.

She left her apartment building in Downtown LA only to get swamped by a hoard of paparazzi from every direction. She tried to ignore them as they threw questions at her. Nat was used to this kind of thing but once in every while one of them said something that made her snap.

And this was one of those times.

“Hey, Natasha, did you hear that Alexei is cheating on you with Yelena Belova?” 

Nat stopped dead in her track and the paparazzi got the reaction that he wanted. He pushed the gossip magazine into her hand. The front cover was a picture of Alexei kissing the said actress. He told her he was in Asia filming his next movie but apparently he was partying in Ibiza with his costar.

Nat suddenly felt numb as something in her snapped. The shout of paparazzi and their flash were drowned out as the pain started to take over. She didn’t feel like crying. She was hurt but there were no tears so Nat assumed she was too shocked to even process this news. She’d lost her last anchor and now she was drifting in the rough sea.

She didn’t know what she was doing but her body walked her back into the building. She headed straight to the garage and hopped into her black Aston Martin Vanquish. She sped out before anyone could follow her and headed straight to the nearest highway, her body and mind on auto-pilot, taking her to anywhere that the road might lead her.

Natasha made her first stop in Flagstaff, Arizona because she felt really tired and couldn’t go on anymore. She checked into a small cozy hotel where there was less crowded and paid cash up front. Then she went to the nearest Target to buy new clothes and bags and supplies for what would probably be a very long trip ahead. The cashier clerk almost noticed her but she denied that she was the famous Natasha Romanov. She came back to her room and took a very long shower and when she hit the bed, she fell asleep right away.

 

* * *

 

Natasha woke up at 5:30 because of her phone. She forgot to turn off the alarm before going to sleep. It was her routine to wake up this time and prepare for her morning meditation and work out session but since she wanted to leave everything behind her, nothing else really mattered, including her old routine.

But she decided to get out of her bed anyway and took a shower, figuring she would leave this town early before anyone could notice her. So she checked out, filled gasoline at the nearest gas station and brought some food and snack.

She quickly left because the group of teenager started to look at her and gossiping. Nat put on a shade and ran to her car and left the town immediately. She needed to find a place where no one would notice her, a place where she could really get away from everything.

She drove and drove, continuing on for what felt like a day. She made a quick stop to fill up the tank before hitting the road again. She didn't know where she was going but the she noted the change of scenery. When she looked at the clock on the dashboard and saw that she had been driving for almost fifteen hours. She needed to find a place to sleep for the night.

She saw a sign saying that there was a town ahead in a five miles but as she went pass a farm, something happened to her car so she slowed down to park on the side of the road. Then there was a loud boom and her car stopped working immediately. She opened the hood to see the engine. There was steam coming out and she freaked out, not knowing what to do or how to fix it. Her cellphone had no signal and there was no one around in the middle of nowhere.

Nat went inside her car and cried, thinking that this might be the worst idea she’d ever had. She panicked, thinking she would probably die in a couple of days after her food ran out.

_ What the hell she was thinking? _

There were no car passing by and it was almost midnight so she decided to take a nap, hoping it might clear her head so that she could figure out what to do next.

 

* * *

_ Knock knock knock. _

She was startled awake by knocks on the window of her car. She looked out and saw a guy leaning in to look inside. Her instincts told her that he might be a robber or something. She looked around to find a weapon or something she could protect herself with but all she had was a large two liter bottle of Coke. She could spill it in his face before making a run.

He signaled for her to lower the window so she did a little, just enough for them to talk.

"Are you alright, Miss?" he asked, eyebrows frowning. "You seem to be having troubles with your car."

It was dark but the light from the car that she guessed was his, parked behind her,  was enough for Nat to pick up some description of him. He was one hell of a handsome guy, tall and muscular, with the gorgeous blue eyes. He looked friendly but something about being a celebrity made Natasha weary of the strangers. 

"Yeah, it broke down but I'm fine," she replied, trying to get him to leave her alone. 

"Did you call a tow truck?” He asked, looking relentless.

"I don’t have a signal around here,” she explained.

"Sorry about that. There isn’t a strong signal around here,” he said and gave her a charming smile. "Anyway, I have a landline in my house. You can use it. And you look like you’re starving, I will cook something for you."

"I'm good. I don't want to bother you.”

Natasha wasn’t going to get into the house of this stranger, no matter how nice he was. She still had some snacks left. Even if the sound of a hot homemade meal sounded good too. He was a stranger and she shouldn’t trust him.

She inwardly thanked him for not pushing her. He just nodded and stepped back from her car.

"If you change your mind, my offer still stands,” he said before pointing to the entrance of the farm. “This is my farm and my house is next the barn.”

She waited until he left with his pickup truck and sighed in relief that he was gone. Natasha sat there, hoping that she could find a signal soon, with no luck. The temperature started to drop and her California nature couldn’t handle the cold. So Natasha decided to get out of her car, grabbing her things along with her.    
  
Well, if the guy were a serial killer, he might help end her misery, Nat thought bitterly she walked toward the only building with lights on. She knocked and a minute later, the guy opened the door for her. An aromatic smell of whatever he was cooking met her nose and her stomach growled.   
  
“Can I use that landline?” she asked.    
“Of course, ma’am,” he replied. “Please come in and make yourself at home.”   
  
He led her to the cozy living room with a fireplace and Nat immediately walked toward the fire to get warm. He offered her a blanket to cover up.   
  
“I’m Steve Rogers, by the way,” he introduced himself.   
“I’m…” Nat stopped in the middle of the sentence, realizing she shouldn’t give her real name. “Natalie…I’m Natalie Rushman”    
“Miss Rushman, you can warm up here. I can call a tow truck for you. I know a guy.”   
“Thank you…and please just call me Natalie.”

 “You can call me Steve too.”   
  
He excused himself to make a phone call. Steve talked to a guy name Tony before he came back and informed her that his friend would bring the car to the garage in town. She couldn't go anywhere now with a car broken down like this. And being the generous host that he was, he offered one of his guest rooms for her to stay the night, offering to clean her clothes.   
  
"I don't know how to repay you," she said. "You are so kind."   
"My ma taught me to help out those in need. And I couldn’t leave you on the side of the road right that. Not when you're in front of my house."   
"Are you sure your wife or your girlfriend will be okay with this?"   
He scoffed. "I don't have either so you don't have to worry about that."   
"Oh..." She looked away, embarrassed that she had said something stupid. "I'm sorry."   
"No worries, ma'am." Steve smiled gently and her heart skipped a beat. "Anyway, the midnight meal will be ready in a ten minutes."   
"Thank you so much, Steve."   
  
Natasha helped Steve set the table. He had already done so much for her, not even even knowing who she was. He didn't have to help but he did anyway. The best thing was that he didn't seem to notice her or her fame.   
  
Finally, he brought a whole pot of soup he cooked for her, along with bread and butter.   
  
"I figure you want to go to bed with a warm belly and light food."   
"It smells so nice."   
"It's my mom's secret recipe," Steve told her, smiling sheepishly. 

"Your mom taught you everything, huh?"   
"Yeah, she did."   
"Where is she? Hope I didn't bother her too."   
"She died a couple years ago. Cancer. And my dad died when I was young in case you wondering."   
"I'm so sorry."   
"It's okay. You didn't know. And no one can really escape death, right? It's the way of life."   
"Yeah..."   
  
The soup was really great. His mother had taught him well, Natasha was sure she’d also raised him to be a perfect gentleman. He looked so American, with golden hair and blue eyes. But without the personality of the white fuckboy she always encountered in Los Angeles. To be honest, she felt weirdly safe with him, feeling like he would protect her from anything.   
  
After the meal, she helped him clean up the dishes. Then he led her to the guest room where he changed sheets and gave her a clean set of towels.    
  
"You got clothes, right?" he asked.   
"Yeah, but they are all dirty."   
"I will take care of those tomorrow," Steve said. "Are you okay with wearing my clothes? I have something clean somewhere..."   
"Sure, thank you so much."   
"You're welcome ma'am."   
  
He came back with clothes for her. A black sweater in case she was cold, his red checked shirt, and a black t-shirt. He said he didn't have a pants or shorts her size but he promised he would borrow something from his friend for her in the morning. Natasha said it was more than enough to last for the night and that she could wear her own sweatpants until she found new ones in town.   
  
Steve wrote something on the paper at the nightstand before handing it to her. "Wifi password." She frowned at him. 

"Well, we don't have much phone signal around here so I installed wifi for every building in this farm."   
  
When everything was set, he headed for the door.   
  
"Good night, ma'am."   
  



	2. Chapter 2

Natasha woke up after a dreamless night. This was the best sleep she ever had and it was weird because this little comfy bed was more comfortable than her 20,000 customize designer bed. She slowly got up and saw the sunlight shone through the curtain.

She heard chicken voice from outside. Birds chipped and she also horse neighed. She stood up and felt a bit cold. There was a woven blanket on the chair next to the fire place. She wrapped it around herself, slipping on her sneakers and went downstairs.

She found an empty house but it looked more like home than her multi million modern house filled with her friends who always came to party hard. She saw photos around the house. There was a photo of him and his family. The little blond kid who standing in front of his mother who also had blonde hair and blue eyes. Steve looked exactly like his mother but he got the strong, muscular build from his father. Then there was a photo of him and probably his best friend. They were wearing football jersey. They both looked cute.

‘Woof!’ 

Nat jumped at the sound of a dog barking. But as she turned around and saw a beautiful Siberian Husky with white fur and grey fur on its back. Its tail wiggled high and its tongue stuck out. Nat froze, unsure what to do.

But the dog walked over to her and smiled before sniffing her. Nat reached her hand out and patted it on the head. The dog purred and licked her hand. She moved to the next photo only to find out that Steve was a soldier and he got a medal of honor.

_ This man was more than meets the eyes. _

Natasha wondered. What did he do during time of war that got him this highest honor. She only saw in the movie where soldier got medal but never seen a real person who had this. He must have gone through hell and back.

She sat the medal box down before she felt the tug on her shorts. The dog tried to pull her toward the door leading to outside of the house. She followed it.

It led her outside where the warm morning sun shone on her. The smell of nature and the calming voice of wind flown through trees soothed her mind. She looked out onto the field to see the man who saved her last night standing in the middle of the field with a black stallion.

The dog barked and Steve looked up and he gave Natasha a wide smile when he saw her. He fed the horse a treat before led it toward her.

“Good morning, ma’am.” He greeted.

“Good morning and thank you for let me stay over.”

“My pleasure, ma’am.”

But then Natasha froze when the black horse nudged at her arms. Steve chuckled at her reaction but pulled the horse a bit away from her.

“No need to be afraid. He’s friendly.” Steve said. “Let him sniff you and if he likes you, you can pet him.”

Nat reached her hand out and the horse sniff her hand. The black stallion squealed before nuzzled its head with Nat.

“Wow.” She hugged it and petted its long black mane. “What breed is he?”

“Friesian. His name is Bastiaan.” He replied. “He’s one of my best horse. My people try to buy him from me but I got attached.”

“You also sell horses?”

“Yeah, it’s kinda like a hobby but then one of the horse I sold to a famous jockey won Kentucky Derby. So people are after my horse now.”

“Wow.” She said. “So you’re a farmer and a horse trainer?”

“Yes, I am.”

She was about to ask more when they were interrupted by loud barks from the direction of the house. Steve held the lead rope tighter to control Bastiaan if it got startled by the loud noise. Natasha saw dogs running toward them and she stepped behind Steve and stood close to Bastiaan who looked annoyed. 

Steve got down as his dogs swamped him. Two corgis pups attacked his face and licked him while the Siberian Husky that led her here stood quietly with the Friesian  horse. A golden retriever tangled with Steve’s legs while a snow white Samoyed looked at her with a wide smile. Nat got down next to Steve and the white dog took a sniff before licking her hand then rubbing its body with her.

Bastiaan sat down as well and let the two humans leaned their back on him. The Husky’s name was ‘Wolfie’ and he got it as his 18 birthday gift from his mother. It was the oldest and leader of this small dog pack. Wolfie sat in front of Steve. Two corgi pups named ‘Bun Bun’, a female pup and ‘Gizmo’ a male pup. Steve adopted them from the nearby farm. Both of them sat on Natasha’s lap and demanded attention from her. The golden retriever named ‘Artemis’, a two year old female dog. It was his mom favorite. And the last one was ‘Snow’, a Samoyed puppy. He got her from his ex girlfriend who left the dog with him after they broke up.

“Why I didn’t see them yesterday?” She asked as she petted the two corgi pups.

“They stayed at my friend’s house last night because I came home late.” He explained. “The house is at the back of my farm.”

“They live on this property?”

“Yes, his family worked on this farm since I was born. I grew with him. I knew them all my life so they’re like a family to me.”

But then the dogs began to fight for the place on Natasha’s lap. Steve had to lift the two corgi pup away before Snow bit them. Steve held them and kissed them repeatedly until another dog began to envy the two pups and swamped Steve instead of Natasha. They got on his body until he laid on the grass, laughing at how adorable his dogs were.

“Steven! Breakfast’s ready at the main house.” An old lady told Steve.

“Will be right there, Winnie.” Steve replied and got up from the ground.

Nat looked at the old woman who also looked at her. Her brows seized as she stared at Natasha. She must have wonder who was that girl standing next to Steve.

Steve let one of his workers took Bastiaan back to his stall. They carried the two corgi pups as they led Steve’s army of dogs back to his house. Once they walked into his dining room, Natasha saw three people in the room.

“Good morning, everyone.” Steve greeted, drawing everyone’s attention.

The guy sitting at the dining table looked up and his jaw dropped when he saw Natasha. The old lady still looked at her suspiciously while the brunette girl looked at Natasha and gave her a friendly smile.

“Guys, this is Natalie Rushman.” Steve introduced Natasha to the three people in the kitchen. “Natalie, this is my best friend, James Barnes. You can call him Bucky.”

“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” Bucky replied but his grey eyes kept staring at her like he knew who she was. 

“And this is Rebecca, James’s sister. She’s in the college now and she will work he during spring break.” 

“Nice to meet you, Natalie.” Rebecca gave her a friendly smile. “Welcome to the farm.”

“Thank you” Nat said.

“And this is Winnifred Barnes, their mother and she’s like a mother to me too.”

“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” Nat said and reached her hand out to shake with Winnie. 

THe old lady looked at the red head like she didn’t trust her but in the end, with Steve’s pleading eyes, Winnie shook hand with Natasha. Nat knew a reason or two of why the old lady didn’t trust her. She probably didn’t like a lady she didn’t know to get close to her son or Steve. Two, she was a stranger that appeared out of nowhere anyway.

“Please sit.” James pulled out a chair for Natasha and he looked at her again. "Do I know you?"

Natasha wasn’t sure how she would lie her way out of this but then James looked at Steve who shook his head and gave James a look.

"Nah, my bad. I mistook you for someone else."   
“James, can you help me outside? I need to feed the dogs.”

“Sure, pal.”

Steve led Bucky to the front porch where the dogs were waiting. They poured dog food inside each bowl.   
"Dude, that's Natasha freaking Romanov." Bucky whispered, apparently noticed who she was.

“You think I don’t know that?” Steve asked. “But she’s using fake name so I realized she tried to hide her identity.”

“But why?”

“I don’t know but I think she needed a place to lay low from that life in LA.” The blond replied. “And we are going to be a great host and not asking her anything until she’s ready to tell us.”

Bucky gaped because he got a lot of question to ask the Hollywood superstar but he could only do as Steve told him to. And his mother would probably kill him if he was rude to his guest.

“How did she ended up at our farm?”

“I don’t know.” Steve shrugged. “When I came home last night…”

“Ohhhh, how’s it going with Sharon anyway?”

Sharon was the name of his ex girlfriend. They broke up two months ago and she left the town with some big city guys who promised her that he will turn her into a supermodel. She also left Snow the Samoyed with him. She came back last night and asked him to have dinner with her which didn’t go well at all.

“She wanted us back together but I say no.” 

“And why did you come home so late?”

“I bumped into Tony and we went to a bar together and well, I probably didn’t watch the time.” Steve replied. “Anyway, back to the main topic, I found her car broken down in front of the farm and she was sleeping inside her car.”

“Please tell me you recognized who she was right away.”

“I recognized her voice first.”

“Hey, guys! Breakfast’s ready.”

The conversation was interrupted by Rebecca who came to get the boys. They went inside and found Natasha talking to Winnie who looked like she finally warmed up to the redhead.

Breakfast went by peacefully. No one brought up anything about Natasha and continued to let her believe no one remember her. After that the girls helped Winnie clean up dishes while the boys headed out to do the farm works.    
  
Rebecca took Natasha on a tour of the farm. James’ sister explained how the farm works as Steve will handle all the animal related work while James and their other friend, Sam Wilson will handle the plant related work. 

Natasha was so grateful that everyone welcomed her and treated her like one of their own. They welcomed a stranger with kindness. She knew they knew who she was but they respected her choice of hiding her identity. 

Then Steve met up with her. He was on Bastiaan’s back, looking too handsome to be just a normal farm boy. He looked like a model. If he was in LA, modeling agents would swamp him. Next to him was a beautiful white horse, looking as majestic as Bastiaan but more delicate and feminine.

“Hope you can ride a horse.” Steve said. “This is Cielo. She’s an Andalusian.”

“She’s so beautiful.” Nat said as she walked over to the horse. “And of course I can ride a horse.”

Steve handed her the reign before they slowly trotted toward the house where Steve picked up a basket of their lunch. He told her they will have a picnic at the sheep field just across the road. He owned 2,000 acre of farm which included corn field, wheat field and fruit orchard. People always told Steve to grow only one thing but Steve never listen to them and turned out, he was much richer than any of those people.

“So you like it here?” Steve asked.

“Yeah, I like it a lot. It like, this is the first time in my life that I don’t feel stress.”

He gave her a smile and led her to the place under the tree where he took off the reign and let the horse grazed freely in the field. He placed a mat from them to sat on and took out their lunch. Winnie made them pasta with tomato sauce, calamari, and an a plate of cold meat. To be honest,  Winnie did cook a really good Italian food. Better than Michelin star chef she hired to her house.

“Steve, do you know who I am?” Natasha asked. When Steve looked into her eyes, he knew she wanted the honest answer.

“I know.” He admitted “But I figure you want to keep that a secret so I didn’t say anything until you want to tell everyone.”

“Thank you for that.”

“I can tell, if you come this far, you must have run away from something. I will not push you to tell me anything until you’re ready.”

“Yes, I’m run away from my life in LA and I don’t want to go back now after everything exploded in my face.”

“I understand.” He said.   
Natasha frowned and looked away at the herd of sheep. "What if I never be ready to go back?"   


Steve reached his hand out and grabbed hers, looking at her with full understanding. "You can stay here as long as you want or continue on down the road."   



	3. Chapter 3

Three days later, Natasha began to settle in with the farm. Everyone knew her as Steve’s friend and she will stay here for the time being. 

She had to admit that staying at Steve’s farm help her forget her life back in LA and Alexi. She still couldn’t believe that he would cheat on her. Nat got a confirmation from the TV news yesterday when paparazzi captured photos of them at LAX, coming back from whatever Pacific Island they were together. 

She cried, of course, when she saw how happy her ex-boyfriend was. She never made him that happy before. That probably because she always worked. It was her fault anyway. 

Then she felt hands on her shoulders. Warm hands that suddenly made she feel better and remembered that she wasn’t alone anymore. She looked up and found Steve stood behind her. He said nothing but there was something in his eyes that communicated everything he wanted to say.

She was grateful that she found him in the middle of nowhere.

“If it makes you feel better, we’re going shopping.” He said.

That made her laugh. “You still think money can buy me happiness?”

“You said the other day you want to disguise yourself.” He explained. “And I will do my best to make you look like a farm girl.”

Nat grabbed her purse and followed him out. She had some money left. At least she didn’t have to bother him from buying new clothes. She got on the passenger seat of his pickup truck. 

It was a long way down the road to the town. They drove past many farm and corn fields. Steve told her a brief history of the town and how the people were like. He also gave facts that she should know. 

The town was quiet as she thought. Steve told her there was only two thousand people in this town. He pulled the car over in front of the clothing store. 

“This is one of the three shops we had. Not much to pick but those clothes can last for a very long time and they are cheap.”

Steve led her inside the store where he greeted the old lady at the cashier casually. Nat could tell that they knew each other personally. She might be his girlfriend or something.

“Hey, Maria.” Steve greeted.

“Hey, farmboy. You’ve been in town a lot lately.” She said and went to hug him.

“Well, a man got some business to handle.” He replied. “Anyway, this is my friend, Natalie. She will stay at my farm for the time being. Natalie, this is Maria Hill, owner of this shop and we went to highschool together.”

“Nice to meet you.” The girls said at the same time and shook each other’s hand.

They did a little catch up before Steve asked Maria to find clothes that will make Natasha blend in and durable enough for the works in the farm. 

Maria gathered everything she had for Natasha to try out. Steve sat outside the fitting room and gave his opinion every time she asked for one. He said she looked great in everything. Nat wanted to call out that it was a lie but Steve made everything sound so sincere.

She did feel pretty because of his compliment.

Natasha got two huge bags of clothes but it costed her only $37. Her white plain Tshirt from D&G was six times more expensive. Steve bid Maria goodbye and made sure to invite her to his barbecue party next weekend.

They put everything inside his car before heading down the street to have breakfast at the biggest diner in town. Steve seemed to know everyone in town as he walked in and greeted all the customer he walked by. Luckily for Nat, people were busy talking to Steve and not notice the red haired woman behind him.

Steve sat as his usual booth by the window and made sure that Natasha sat with her back to everyone.

“This place served the best waffle.” He said. “Actually, everything is delicious here.”

“Wow, you made it hard to pick one dish from a menu.”

“Just order everything you want, Natalie.”

Nat smiled. She never met a man from LA that would invite her to order everything she wanted to eat. Most of them, including Alexei, always warned her not to eat too much. They always complaint about food for being too greasy or too much carb. 

But look at Steve and the way he just ordered a giant waffle platter and ‘Fully loaded breakfast’ dish. He was so happy.

“You should watch what you eat, Steve.” She warned him.

He shrugged “I just enjoy my life.”

“Ma’am, what do you like for your breakfast?” The waitress asked. 

Natasha smiled once she made a decision. “I will try that Jumbo Sausage and I will also have Extra Everything Burrito.”

Steve’s smile broke out as he heard her order. At least he could make her a bit loosen up and enjoy her life a little more.

“Let me tell you something, Natasha.” He said before leaning in toward her. “The secret of all happiness in life…is butter.”

Natasha’s laugh was an angelic voice from heaven. People turned around with a smile on their face as they heard her laughter. It was something that could lift spirit. Steve too laughed along with her.

“I will take that secret to my grave, Steve.”

They had a long quality conversation about food and life. Natasha discovered that this guy had more than meets the eye. He was smart and had a very interesting point of view about everything. Not to mention the positive vibe he gave out to people around him.

He looked like someone she could trust with her life and she felt relax being near him.

Steve paid for their food before they headed out but he stopped dead in his track when he saw blond girl came in. 

“Steve” the woman greeted but from the look on Steve’s face. He didn’t want to talk to her.

“Sharon.” He replied shortly, sternly. “Natalie, can you wait for me in the car?”

Nat wanted to help him out of this situation but decided to do as he told her. “Sure.”

He wait until Natasha was inside his car before he turned back to Sharon.

“What do you want?” He asked. “And why are you here?”

Sharon made face at him. “I’m working here. Not everyone own a farm, Steve. And can you at least forgive me?”

“No”

That was all he said before he walked out of the diner. Natasha looked like she had million questions to ask. He thanked her silently that she chose to keep it in. 

 

* * *

 

When they came home, they were greeted by Steve’s dog pack. Nat picked up the two corgi pups while the other dogs walking around her, trying to get some affection. Wolfie the husky walked beside Steve with its calm composure.

Rebecca and Winnie helped take care of Nat’s new clothes. They said it will be ready by tomorrow. Natasha also asked Rebecca to help her dry her hair.

“But it will ruin your perfect red hair, Natalie.” Rebecca said. “Your hair is perfect the way it was.”

“I want no one to notice me.”

“Sure.”

Rebecca knew the moment she met Natalie that Steve’s guest wasn’t who she told she was. She knew the woman was Natasha Romanov, the famous actress. Steve had been told everyone in the farm that her name was Natalie Rushman but Rebecca doubted everyone would believe it.

“Natalie, I think you should see this.” Steve called her from the living room.

When Nat walked in, she heard the familiar reporter voice from his television. CNN was reporting the news of her disappearance. The police were all over her place, trying to find evidence. 

“Are you alright?” Steve asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

The reporter interviewed her neighbor but no one saw her leaving. Her maids didn’t see her too. Later, they showed the footage from the surveillance camera of her leaving the house in her beautiful sport car. They issued an APB for the car. Her mother was at her house, same as Alexei.

Natasha groaned when she saw her ex-boyfriend and Steve immediately turned off the TV.

“I should go.” She said, feeling all the anxiety came back to her now.

“Where? Your car is broken down.”

“Someone will notice me and it will bring you a lot of trouble. I don’t want to go back or have anyone find me.”

Steve stilled her in place by grabbing her forearms.

“Look at me, Natasha.” He said. Blue eyes fixed at her. “You are safe here. No one will find you.”

She doubted what he just said. But when she looked up at his blue eyes, if made her believed that what he said was true. 

“You can stay here as long as you want.”

“Thank you.” She murmured.

His calmness helped ease her anxiety and she relaxed in his arms. There was something about this man that made her trust him in a way no one could do it. Natasha buried her face into his chest, letting him hold her.

* * *

 

  
Later that day, Natasha got to meet with the guy named Tony. Steve told her he was the richest guy in the town. The guy practically owned half of the town and his ancestor was the founding father. 

“This is not what I imagine when you told me you have a car that needed a fix.” Tony said. “This is a freaking Aston Martin.” 

“I know it’s too much to ask but I need you to repair this for me and under try to keep everything quiet as well.” Steve pleaded his friend.

But Tony kept pressing. “Where did you get this?” He knew Steve too well that this golden boy only drive American cars. For god sake, Steve owned a Mustang and and Camaro. 

“It’s my car.” Natasha said as she emerged from behind the two man.

Tony got the same reaction as Bucky when he first saw Natasha. 

“Oh, hi there.” The millionaire greeted and kissed her hand, trying to put on his charming face. “I’m Tony Stark. I own this town.”

Steve groaned. “You owned half of the town.” 

Natasha chuckled at their banter. “My name is Natalie Rushman. The car is mine. It broke down last night.”

“It will be hard to find the parts. It will take awhile.” Tony said.

“I’m not going anywhere soon.” Natasha replied and it made Steve smile brightly when he heard that.

There was something obviously going on between his friend and this mysterious girl Tony never met before. He will interrogate Steve for all the answer of his hundred of question in his mind.

 

* * *

 

 

Steve told everyone in his household including Natasha that he will meet up with Tony at the bar for a drink and they didn’t have to wait for him to come home. Rebecca said she will keep Natasha company.

He left the farm right after dinner and Natasha walked him to his car.

“I will see you tomorrow.” He said. “Goodnight, ma’am.”

“Take care, Steve.”

He gave her a big smile and kissed her hand before getting into his pick-up truck. Nat watched him drove away until her left the farm.

Steve met up with Tony at the bar. His friend sat at his usual table and already ordered Steve’s favorite drinks.

“Alright, sport, tell me how did you ended up with that girl.” The millionaire demanded.

“Like I said her car breakdown in front of my farm.” Steve told. “I offered her to stay at my farm until her car is fixed.”

“Dude, is she single? You should…”

“Before you go to far, she just got cheated on.” 

“Oh… yeah, you don’t want to be the rebound guy.” Tony agreed but then something hit him. “Wait, I know her. She’s….”   


Steve quickly shushed his friend. “Quiet! She doesn’t want anyone to know who she is.”   


“Why?”

“She tried to get away from her life in LA. That’s why she ended up here.” Steve explained.

“That doesn't make any sense.”   
Steve sighed. “I know. But it’s been rough for her and she needed sometime to think everything over. I need you to keep this a secret, okay?”

“Sure, no doubt, no doubt.” Tony promised but as he looked up. He saw someone entering the bar. “Bro, you should hide. Sharon’s here.”

But it was too late for Steve to move. Sharon quickly made her way to her former lover who frowned at her.

“Steve…” She started to speak but he cut her off immediately.   


“Don’t say my name. I don’t want to talk to you.” He said sternly, getting up and ready to leave the bar. He wasn’t going to stay in the same room as her.

“Steve, please…” She begged, trying to catch his arm but he shrieked away as if her touch burned him.

“No, I don’t want anything to do with you.” 

Steve headed out of the bar without saying goodbye to anyone, even Tony. Sharon didn’t back down and follow him outside.

“Steve! I’m sorry!”

“No, you don’t get to say that! Not after what you did to us!”

He got into his car and quickly drove away. He was angry every time he saw her face. She had some nerve, wanting them to get back together after what she did to him. He pulled over at his house and went inside. The moment his eyes met with Natasha’s emerald one, his anger vanished miraculously. She offered him a warm smile from her seat near the fireplace.

“I thought you will be gone for a long time.” She said as she got up and walked to him. “What’s wrong?”

“Sharon.” He replied.

She didn’t say anything but gave him a hug to show her support. He returned the gesture and held her in his arms. A moment later, Steve pulled away.

“Thank you.” He whispered. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you heyfrenchfreudiana for the beta


End file.
